Interconnection requests inflated?

Talk about whether data center interconnection requests were inflated. “Conservatively, you’re seeing five to 10 times more interconnection requests than data centers actually being built,” said Astrid Atkinson, a former Google senior director of software engineering and now co-founder and CEO of grid optimization software provider Camus Energy.

How did we get here? In 2024, RAND forecasted 347 GW of AI-sector power consumption by 2030. In early May 2025, Schneider Electric called that prediction “extreme.” 

Utility Dive | A fraction of proposed data centers will get built. Utilities are wising up.